Leaders vs Managers free essay sample

Leaders Vs Managers Steven Powell MGT 380 Ms. Alysia Young July 12, 2010 There is the age old question of what is the difference between a manager and a leader? Most people will say that you cant be a manager without being a leader. In this paper, I will discuss in detail, what is it that leaders and managers do, can leaders and managers be one in the same, as well as, explain the difference between managers and leaders. Most successful businesses usually consisted of a team of successful managers. Note that in order to be a manager it does not require a erson to be a leader. Managers often ask your how and who questions in an organization. Managers are about appealing to the head through planning, organization, controlling, and directing. Managers generally have a formal title in an organization and they thus have formal organizational power. (Tanner, 2009) There are some people out there with the title of manager who do not have anyone who work for him or her. We will write a custom essay sample on Leaders vs Managers or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They simple manage things like accounts, property, or supplies. They are totally successful at doing their Job without showing any signs of leadership. Also, a manager can obtained his position of authority through time and loyalty given to the company, not as a result of his leadership qualities. According to the text, there are several different examples of managers. For instance, managers are concern with how to get things done and try to get people to perform better. Another example, managers value stability, order, and efficiency, and they are impersonal, risk adverse and focus on short term result. (Yukl, 2010, p. 6) These are Just a couple of examples of what it is a manager should be doing. Leaders are also important in the success ofa business. According to the text, leaders value flexibility, innovation, and adaptation; they care about the people as well as the economic outcomes, and they have longer-term perspective with regards to objectives and strategies. (Yukl, 2010, p. 7) Leaders often ask your what and why questions in an organization. One does not have to have a formal title in the organization to be a leader. (Tanner, 2009) A leader is also a person who guides others toward a common goal, showing the way by example, and creating an environment in which other team members feel actively involved in the entire process. A leader is not the boss of the team but, instead, the person that is committed to carrying out the mission of the business. A strong leader will possess several qualities such as being a good listener, focused, organized, available, includes others, decisive and confident. (What is, 2009) These qualities make an effectively leader as well as a manager. In order to be a leader or managers, a person needs not be one in the same. Because simple put, some people are managers and other people are leaders. A manager has a different agenda than a leader, for example, managers do things right, while leaders do the ight thing. This means that managers do things by the book and follow company to the company. (The Difference, 1997). A leader is more emotional than a manager is. Another major distinction, is as a manager, in order to get a subordinate to do a job, the manager doesnt have to be a leader because he or she is given that power by virtue of position, in other words, all the manager has to do is tell a subordinate to do something because he or she is the manager, they must be obeyed. Whereas with leaders, people naturally follow them by their own choice. A leader may have no rganizational skills, but their vision unites people behind them. Although, a leader and manager do not need to be one and the same, I do think that in order to be an effective manager one need to have some leadership skills. Some people believe that Just because a person is a manager that it makes them a leader I think that this truly depends upon the situation or the position that they hold. Although managing and leading are in the same family, they are totally different. Managers get results and they are efficient. Then again, efficiency does not mean one is always effective. When a business is uneven with too many managers and too few leaders, it is proficient at doing the work right. However, it does not do the right things because a lacks of leadership. As a result, reality sets in as the company puts more focus on process than vision. I have known managers who were terrible leaders! They could plan, execute, and direct others, but no one was motivated to do their best for them or for the company. These managers did not have a clear direction of what they wanted to accomplish and staff in their companies display a going through the motions quality to their work. So you can see, Just because a person is a manager doesnt mean that he or she is a leader. There several different between being a leader and being a manager. The major differences between leaders and managers are leaders have willing followers and managers get result through their subordinates; leaders use influence and managers must have authority; leaders earn the right to lead from followers and with managers, the right to manage is granted by ownership; leaders ask and managers tell; leaders have personal power and managers have position power; leaders intend to make changes whereas managers roduce goods and services Managing is about efficiency. Leading is about effectiveness. Managing is about how. Leading is about what and why. Management is about systems, controls, procedures, policies, and structure. Leadership is about trust and about people. The final difference is that it is possible to be a leader without being in a position of authority. But, overall in order to have a successfully organization, there must be a balance between managers and leaders, or a manager must have some leadership skills. In this paper, I have discussed what it is that leader and managers do.